Chasing Storm-clouds
by CreakyFloor
Summary: 'Parallel worlds is something I don't want to think about right now.' Follow Evelynn as she is thrown into the FMA universe. Adventure is inevitable and losing to Truth is not an option. She only remembers events that happened in the past. Vague impressions of the future; after all, it's no fun if she knows what the future holds. Will she ever get back home? Does she want to?
1. Chapter One: My Head Hertz

**Hey, This is the first chapter to a story that's been mulling about in my head for ages. I already have the second chapter written, so that should be up in about a week. A wonderfully amazing human has let me bounce Ideas off of them and has also proofread and added things to the story. She is what made this whole thing possible. Send them some metaphysical love! (They didn't want me to share their handle.) Enjoy the story folks!**

It was a humid day in Hinesville, Georgia; not that that was out of the ordinary. It smelled like warm soil and budding plants inside of the nursery. The last customer of Evelynn's shift had just left; the door bells jingling in reprieve. She wiped her dirt crusted hands on a green apron.

"Evvy, great work today, as always." A man with large round eyeglasses grinned.

"Thank you Mr. Fulton." The girl sent a blazing smile towards the spindly old man.

"The customers can really tell how much work you put into these plants. I reckon the plants can too with how beautiful they have been blossoming this season." He chuckled.

"Really sir, you flatter me. Are you sure it isn't your dashing good looks that has the flowers so rush with beauty?" Evelynn batted her eyelashes and frounced towards the back door.

"Flattery works very well on me, do go on." He stretched his right hand out and bowed, as if he were asking for a dance. Evelynn laughed.

"See you tomorrow!" She called out, almost at the door.

"Wait! I have something I need to give you." He reached into the pocket of his green apron and pulled out a silver chain, it had a small blue jay on it. The girl let out a breath, and looked at the dangling bird in awe.

"I know you don't like to have a big fuss made, so I thought I'd give you your birthday gift fashionably late." He handed the necklace to the shocked girl.

"Really, you shouldn't have. I really appreciate the gesture, but I just can't take it." She smiled softly and tried to return the gift.

"I'm not taking no for an answer missy, it's a special charm. It's supposed to help with clarity and to provide bravery in the most terrifying situations. Or something like that. I know you already have those skills, but sometimes a little something to lean on helps a whole lot. Now run along. You shouldn't be outdoors to long causing a ruckus when I can feel a storm coming. Old bones, they can sense these things." He nodded omnisciently

Evelynn giggled and gave a salute "Yes sir." She turned around and reached for the door handle, pausing for a moment. "I really do appreciate it sir, thank you" She shot a grateful smile over her shoulder and left the nursery.

A much too small teen rode home on her much too small bike, clasping a silver chain and sparkling bird in her fist. The wind whipped cooly against her face, making the heat a tad more bearable. The ride from work to home was twenty-five minutes, not nearly long enough for this young girl. After a couple of turns and one close call with a car, she was home. She latched her bike to the back gate and tried to slip into the house as quietly as she could. Maybe if she got into the house unnoticed she could start a book she'd been wanting to read. Maybe she could have some cookies and drink an Arnold Palmer on the rickety old back porch swing. Maybe she could-

" _Evelynn Clare Valdez!_ Get your ass over here _now_!"

 _Dang._ There go those plans.

"Coming Mother!"

The sweaty teen walked briskly through the kitchen, towards the front door and her mother. A hand tangled in Evelynn's hair dragging the wincing teen closer to the enraged woman.

"And what do you think you're doing? Huh? Trying to hide from me?!" The hand tightened its grip as her mother's words increased in volume.

"You're not getting off that easy. Don't think I forgot about your little stunt last Thursday. I mean really, how hard is it to do the things I ask of you. You are a part of this household. _My_ child. You listen to me! I'm heading out for a drink. When I come home I want the house to be sparkling. I'm having a . . . guest over tonight" The matriarch snarled. "If even one thing is out of place when I return, you'll have hell to pay."

Evelynn was dragged impossibly closer to her mother's face. The bourbon hot breath stinging her eyes and clogging her nose.

"Do. You. Understand."

Her throat convulsed a barely audible "Yes Ma'am."

Evelynn was shoved to the ground harshly as her mother's hand untangled itself from her curly black hair. Her mother snorted.

"Ungrateful whelp."

The door was slammed shut, the bang echoing down the hallway.

' _At Least that's over, it really wasn't too bad this time'_

Rubbing her head and back the crouched girl looked out the window. A sunny sky met her gaze. Wait, no. Just there, over a few blocks were some gray clouds.

' _Looks like Mr. Fulton was right, today is taking a turn for the better after all.'_

If only she knew how wrong she was.

' _I'm not supposed to leave the house, but really, when has that ever stopped me?'_ Evelynn put her shoes back on, slipped the necklace on, unlatched her bike, and set off after the rain clouds. She was pedaling so fast that the chains on her bike kept skipping. It didn't matter in the slightest to her. The only thing she was focused on was catching those rain clouds. This had been a game her Father taught her before he left. That when the sky is split in half; between the rain and sunshine you must pick a side. The best side to choose was the rainy one because it was always moving, and it could lead you somewhere fantastic and magical without you even noticing. Eventually the rain stopped, and when it stopped it would reveal what the clouds had been hiding the entire time, a rainbow, a mystery. The sky split in half is a fork in the road, and to just stand there and wait for it to merge is like giving up on your dreams. Quitting. No matter what life threw at her, Evelynn was _not_ a quitter.

She was almost there now, she could feel the spray of not quite droplets on her skin, making her feel more motivated to catch those darn clouds. She could almost taste the freedom of finally catching up to those evasive drops. She looked down at her sparkling bird and gained more speed, determination setting in. The blood thrummed through her body, playing the part of metronome to the thunder and lightning concerto that was just ahead of her. She stood up hesitantly, the hill she was going down erasing her need to petal.

' _I'll_ _ **never**_ _be a quitter'_

Her stance was taller and more confident. She leaned over.

' _It's not good enough'_

She reached farther, hips over handlebars. That's when she felt it, the rain cooling down her body in a great wave of chilling euphoria.

' _I finally did it! I caught them!'_

That's when it happened. A bright flash and a loud bang erupted. Didn't anyone ever tell her that metal and lightning don't mix?

Hot white pain turned into searing agony as the energy from the lightning tore at her cells. Then everything went black.

' _Huh? What just happened?'_ She kept her eyes closed, trying to rub away the oncoming headache. It really felt like she bumped her head.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A mortal? How interesting."

Evelynn looked up frightened, but everything was so blindingly white it took a second for her eyes to adjust. She looked up to find a white humanoid static creature? With teeth?

' _Oh nonononononono'_

A white. Humanoid. Static. Creature. _With teeth!_

"Tr-Truth?"

Evelynn's throat spasmed in an attempt to swallow her surprise. Her eyes flitted to the large ominous gate behind Truth. A collection of murmurs was running through the room at a low buzz; coming from behind the intricately carved stone.

"It can't be" She shook her head vigorously, "it must be a dream."

"Oh, but it seems it can. This is quite real." Truth smirked

The sideways smile sent a shiver down her spine.

"In my attempt to humor this . . . situation, why am I here?" Evelynn questioned, shakily picking herself up off of the floor.

"Isn't that obvious?" Truths voice quirked like an upturned eyebrow. "You are here to play a game with me. Mortals are so predictable. I got tired of playing with the same ones. So I thought I'd bring a new chess piece to the board."

"That chess piece being me?" Evelynn motioned to herself.

"You are here aren't you?" Another smirk.

"Right, sorry" she winced. ' _I really must have hit my head. This is all so crazy.'_

"Assuming I get a choice in the manner; how do I play then?" Evelynn asked, taking an uncertain step back.

"Before that, I'll give you a choice. You can return to your side of the gate, or you can choose to proceed with the game." Truth paused.

"If you return to your side, the other will be completely unbalanced, and the timeline will be irreparably damaged."

"Wait a minute, which timeline?"

' _This is starting to feel a bit to real for my liking. I know Truth is from the FMA series, but he really couldn't be serious about the other side of the gate. Parallel worlds is something I don't want to think about right now.'_

"You recognized me so I assumed you knew about the Elric brothers and their role on the other side of the gate."

Evelynn gasped "Are you saying that the other side of the gate really is The Fullmetal universe? Or timeline?" she shook her head and brought her hands to her face, attempting to rub away her shock.

"That is correct. If you play the game, you can keep both sides balanced. If you win, you might even have a chance to return. You will not get a choice like this again, so choose wisely."

Truth gave her an appraising look.

' _If I go back, I'll destroy one of my favorite stories, If I leave I might not ever come back. Not to mention how much mortal peril I would be in. Could I really just turn on everyone in the FMA universe? The series kept me happy and occupied. It raised me more than my Mother. It taught me values, and the meaning of true bravery and integrity. Is leaving really so bad? To have a break from my current life. From my mother? I can't just leave the nursery and Mr. Fulton. He'd have by head. But I could meet amazing new people. I could change something, really make a difference.'_ She clutched the charm around her neck, squeezing so hard it felt like it would break. ' _I'm sorry Mr. Fulton'_

"I'll do it." Evelynn said with a voice and head nod that was much more confident then she felt.

"Are you sure? This is your last chance."

Evelynn took a deep breath and relaxed her tensed muscles.

"How do I play?" She replied.

Truths face broke out into a wide grin with too much teeth. He stepped forward and splayed his arms wide.

"You'll catch on eventually." His face nearly splitting because of his murmurs went from a low buzz to a violent roar. Long black shadowy limbs reached from behind the gate and grabbed the quaking girl. Evelynn screamed and crumbled to the ground. Her whole body was shrieking in protest, as if it was being ripped apart and reassembled. Every thread of her being was scorched and pulled my the black hands, Dragging her back towards the gate like a worn doll. A blinding silver light emitted from the young girls tired form and outshone the white of Truths domain. She looked up with tear filled eyes and saw the hints of an unsettling smile before her vision flickered and faded into black.


	2. Chapter Two: First Impressions

The next chapter as promised! I will be posting new chapters of this story every Saturday afternoon. Some parts of this chapter might be a bit confusing, but it will be explained in the next chapter, so fear not. Also, parts of this chapter are direct quotes from FMAB, because Evelynn hasn't been in the story long enough to completely change situations or dialogue. I also wanted the scene to be more easily recognizable since this is her first experience in Amestris, and so I could establish where she was in the timeline. Those parts of the chapter do not belong to me.

The cold rain hit her inflamed skin, cooling it. She laid there, not daring to move for the pain it would bring. Her eyes stayed closed, she took a deep breath savoring the fresh cool air.

' _Gosh, That was a hard fall. Everything hurts. I really, really, really should have thought that whole leaning all the way over my bike thing through more carefully.'_

A clock bell rang loudly through the pouring rain. A startling rumble followed. Evelynn flinched.

' _I'm probably in the middle of the road, I should move. Getting hit by a car doesn't sound all that pleasant right now.'_

She opened her eyes and shielded them from the drizzle. She sat up carefully, her whole body aching.

' _That's odd. I don't recognize any of these buildings, or the alley. I must have gone farther than I thought.'_

She stretched a bit, joints popping and muscles throbbing. A series of loud crashes sounded through the air. They were getting closer. Evelynn looked around frantically.

' _What is that! I better get out of here.'_

The only way out was towards the loud noises. She settled for trying to squeeze her small frame into a crack between the wall and a building. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. A rolling clap of energy carved a large scar out of the building she was behind. Rubble scraped her as it flew past. She coughed on the dust that started to cloud from the fallen brick as running footsteps came close to her hiding spot.

' _What the hell? I was riding my bike and now I'm about to be in the middle of some-some gang war! I did not sign up for this.'_ She tried to push herself further back but the rubble blocked her way, ' _Nice, now I am going to die and I didn't even get to drink that Arnold Palmer,'_ She clutched the charm to her chest tightly. The footsteps stopped right in front of the alley

"Who are you anyway? Why are you after us?!" an oddly familiar voice yelled

' _Where have I heard that voice?'_

A deceptively calm rumble of a speaker interrupted her thoughts. "As long as there are creators like you in the world, there must also be destroyers."

"Yeah, well it looks like we're gonna have to fight."

She peered out from behind the building and froze. Her eyes met a blonde in a red coat, a giant suit of armor and a tall man with white hair and a scar covering a majority of his face.

' _Wow, I must have hit my head harder than I thought. It's that or I'm dreaming.'_

A shaky hand reached towards a throbbing on her head. She touched a tender sticky spot, and her hand pulled back red.

' _Oh. That explains it.'_

Evelynn slowly stepped from behind the building and started walking forward. The brothers were racing towards Scar. They missed, allowing Scar to rip open Al's side. He crashed and tumbled to the ground.

" _Al!"_ Evelynn and Edward screamed in unison. The girl raced towards Al as Edward and Scar continued to fight.

"Al! Are you all right?" She knelt worriedly beside him, trying to gather as many scraps as she could. The hollowed suit of armor looked up at her in shock

"Yeah, no! Wait, who are you? You need to get out of here it's too dangerous. How did you know my name? Your head is bleeding! What are you doing? You need to leave!" He frantically tried to wave her away.

"My name is Evelynn and I'm trying to get all of your parts back" She stated with a matter of fact voice and blank face. She dumped some scraps into the hollowed out part of his armour "Sorry, I know that must be weird." They landed with a loud clang.

Exasperated, Al turned away from the strange girl and looked back towards the fight. Edward was taking some serious damage. Al started to crawl towards the duo. "Brother, don't! Just run away!"

Edward glared at his brother."You idiot! I'm not going to leave you behind- Who the hell is that?! You need to get out of here, it's too dangerous." Scar turned towards the person Edward was yelling at.

"You have no business here, leave if you know what's good for you."

Evelynn moved in front of Alphonse "And you have business trying to fight people smaller than you?" She cocked her head.

An indignant cry came from behind the Ishvalan " _Who are you calling so small he can't fight his own battles without needing an adult to save him!"_

Evelynn and Alphonse stared at him blankly.

Scar stepped towards Evellyn and Alphonse. "I've had enough of these games, I have a duty to my God, you kids aren't getting in my way. Those who interfere become my targets as well. Leave before I have to do something regrettable."

Evellyn stepped forward and stuck her chin out. "I'm not leaving them behind." ' _Oh my gosh! Why am I doing this? I don't even have alchemy. I don't stand a chance! But My being here changes things; it could mean that they don't get out of here alive. If they get hurt now, It's on my hands. I can't just leave them here like this. It's my responsibility now.'_ Evelynn took a breath and grasped at her necklace tightly. She strengthened her stance, completely guarding Alphonse.

"Edward take Alphonse and run!" Evelynn threw a rock at Scar, trying to catch him off guard, he dodged.

"You think that can stop me. You are more foolish than those you are trying to protect." He sent a rippling wave of rocks toward her. She barely dodged and stumbled towards the wall. ' _How did I even get myself into this situation? Why did I ever think that throwing a rock was actually going to help?'_ She spared a glance towards Edward. He was standing frozen in shock.

" _Run!_ You blithering idiot!" She dodged an attack aimed at her right, only to walk into another that tore at left her shoulder. A loud pop echoed through the alley and she bit back a scream. Scar turned back towards the blonde who was trying to get Alphonse into a covered area. Scar ran towards him, and tore off his automail arm; sending Edward flying backwards.

" _Brother!"_ came the distressed cry from the crumbled armour.

"Now you will not be able to use your heretics alchemy." Edward scrambled back frightened.

Before Evelynn knew what she was doing she clapped both of her hands to the ground and sent a massive shockwave through the cobblestone. It sent a wave towards Scar, pushing him away from the unnerved blonde.

"An alchemist as well? You are wasting your gift to aid the military. You too shall suffer"

She could barely hear Scar over her own thinking ' _Did I just? I just did. Oh my god I just did Alchemy!'_ She looked down at her hands, vision dotting. ' _That made me feel really dizzy.'_ Blood got in her eye. ' _Oh, I forgot about that.'_ She was suddenly launched into the back of the alley by a large ripple of stone. She cried out in pain as her body collided with the brick wall. Her vision was swimming and her head was throbbing. Scar turned back to Edward.

"I will give you a moment to pray to God"

Al tried to scramble from the safety of his spot. "Brother, run away. Brother!"

"Unfortunately there isn't any God I'd like to pray to." He paused and panted out in laboured breaths. "Am I the only one you're trying to kill today? Or are you going after Al and that girl too?"

"If they interfere again, I will eliminate them. But Fullmetal Alchemist, you are the only one who is receiving judgment today. You alone."

He clenched his fists "Okay, in that case I want your word. Promise me you won't hurt my brother." He takes a brief look at the crumpled and bleeding figure slumped against the wall. "Or that girl over there." Al took in a sharp breath.

"I will keep that promise."

Alphonse leaned forward "No! Brother what are you trying to do? What are you thinking? Run! Get up and run!"

Scar reached towards Edwards head and Alphonse struggled towards them, "Stop! Don't touch him!" Scar was about to grab ahold of the blond hair "No! No you can't! Stop it!"

A gunshot resonated through the air.

Evelynn was shaken out of her foggy state by the loud ring of a gunshot. ' _Finally some help is here. I can close my eyes and rest now, they're safe.'_ Evelynn nodded her head and her eyes drooped all the way closed.

The fight continued. Edward was spared, Mustang made a fool of himself, Armstrong's shirt came off and Riza saved the day, as per usual. Scar left the fight with a graze, escaping into the sewers.

Edward got up and looked towards his brother. "Oh no Alphonse, _Alphonse!_ " He ran towards his brothers fallen form. "Al! Talk to me, are you alright? Come on Al!" He tried to shake his shoulder. A metal fist clunked against his skin, sending Edward spinning in the air dramatically. Edward screamed.

"Why didn't you run away when I told you too? What kind of idiot are you?!"

Edward sat back up and shouted in disbelief. "No way am I just gonna run away and leave you behind!"

"That's exactly why you're an idiot!" Alphonse punched his brother. Again.

Edward sat against the wall and clutched his cheek. "What do you keep punching me like that for? If I'd run away you could've been killed, ya know that?"

"And maybe I wouldn't have been! Making the decision to die is something only and idiot would do."

"Hey! Easy on the idiot stuff. I'm still your older brother, Got it?!"

Alphonse clutched Edward by the front of his shirt. "I'll say it all I want to! Survival is the only way Ed. Live on. Learn more about alchemy. We could find a way to get our bodies back and help people like Nina. You can't do that by dying!" His voice broke. "I won't allow you to abandon the possibility of hope and choose a meaningless death!" The arm that was gripping Edward fell off. "Oh great! And now my arms come off because my brothers _a big fat idiot!"_

Edward sighed and looked down. "We're really falling apart, aren't we brother? We look like we belong in a junkyard."

Al looked at his brother. "But we're still alive." His voice shook.

Edward chuckled. "We are."

Riza came over to the brothers and covered Edward with her jacket. She sent him a warm smile.

Al looked up suddenly. "Where is that girl, that was here during the fight? She was hurt really bad!"

Edward looked up shocked and remembered the back of the Alley. "She's back there in the rubble!" He shouted, pointing with his good arm. Riza and other military personnel looked over at her. She was covered in rubble, her black hair was clumped together with mud. Half dried blood clung stickily to the right side of her face. Her left arm was limp and stuck in a weirdly droopy angle. Yet she looked peaceful lying in the rocks. As if this was the first chance she had to rest in a long while.

"Get an ambulance and take her to the hospital!" Riza ordered.

Ed got out of the way of the people rushing to unbury her. He sat down next to his brother. Al looked at him and nodded in the girls direction.

"She was trying to help me when you and Scar were fighting. She gathered a bunch of my pieces back together. She wasn't phased by my empty armour. She knew who we were."

Edward frowned. "That's weird, we should tell the Colonel and visit her in the hospital for questioning then. She may give us a lead, or she could be a threat."

Alphonse butted in. "And to say thank you for trying to help us, that was very kind of her. For a minute there, I didn't even know if she was an alchemist."

Edward grumbled and waved it off. "Yeah, yeah." He stood up. "Now we just have to find a way to get all of you back to HQ for the team meeting." He rolled his eyes. Edward moved Al into the backseat of a military car, getting as many pieces as he could together. They headed off towards HQ. All he could see in his head was a picture of a girl standing in front of his brother. Her eye's a deep mossy green. Fierce, but obviously shaken. He Looked out of the car window, tracing droplets with his fingers. ' _I'll question her later, she seems to know too much. She could be dangerous, or the key to finding the philosopher's stone.'_

How did you like it? If you have any thoughts and/or suggestions please let me know! I was thinking of doing a sort of spin off of this story called _Authors Mind Theater: Chasing Storm Clouds._ It would be all of the cliches and crack that I think would fit into the story while I'm writing it. It would be mostly comedy and chapters would probably be out Sunday mornings. Any thoughts on that? 'Till next Saturday :-) 


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